Feds: Mixed report for 2012 NY berry harvests

Federal agriculture officials say New York’s strawberry crop took a hit last year, but blueberry production was up.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says strawberry production dropped to 3.2 million pounds, down 11 percent from 2011. Many farms reported shortened seasons because of a snap of cold weather that generally hit early crops around the state.

New York is the eighth largest producer of strawberries in the country. The value of its crop dropped to $6.88 million in 2012, 19 percent below 2011. Nationally, strawberry production was up 4 percent.

The state’s blueberry harvest was 2 million pounds, up 5 percent from a year earlier, but the value of the crop dropped 2 percent to $3.96 million. The U.S. harvest was up 7 percent.